It is known to provide young children, especially those under the age of 12 with a child seat or booster seat. It is also known for forward facing child support seats to incorporate an integrated three point harness (straps across both shoulders and crotch) or five point harness (straps across both shoulders, the pelvic area and crotch), which are designed to minimise the risk of injury in the event of a crash by spread the force across as large an area as possible. The three or five point harness also restrains the child's lower body preventing the child from sliding out of the seat and/or the harness. These seats are typically designed for children between the ages of 9 months and 4 years old and often contain adjustable harnesses. It is also known for these seats to have interchangeable covers, so that they may be removed and cleaned or replaced.
A problem with a child seat is that a child is able to easily manipulate their arms through the underside of the shoulder strap, thereby removing their shoulders from the shoulder strap. This essentially converts the harness into a lap harness which is potentially dangerous in the event of an accident, as the entire restraining force is concentrated onto the midriff of the child. It is therefore desirable to be able to prevent a child from removing the shoulder straps.
JP2002-307988 indirectly solves this problem by making the child wear a vest onto which the restraining harness is attached, and the vest and harness are then attached to a child seat. The vest prevents the child from removing their arms from the shoulder strap as the straps are sown onto the vest. Such an arrangement is uncomfortable for the child as it introduces an extra layer of clothing, it also requires the vest to be carried with the seat, it is also difficult to use in that the vest must be worn by the child and then attached to the seat. Finally such a solution is not compatible with the majority of existing child seats on the market.
It is therefore desirable to be able to solve the problem of children removing their arms from the shoulder strap of a car seat harness in a manner that is easy to use, comfortable for the child and applicable to the majority of known child car seats.